Behavioral Change Through Treatment
Recovery from the disease of drug addiction is often a long-term
process, involving multiple relapses before a patient achieves
prolonged abstinence. Many behavioral therapies have been
shown to help patients achieve initial abstinence and maintain
prolonged abstinence. One frequently used therapy is cognitive
behavioral relapse prevention in which patients are taught
new ways of acting and thinking that will help them stay off
drugs. For example, patients are urged to avoid situations
that lead to drug use and to practice drug refusal skills.
They also are taught to think of the occasional relapse as
a "slip" rather than as a failure. Cognitive behavioral
relapse prevention has proven to be a useful and lasting therapy
for many drug addicted individuals.
One of the more well-developed behavioral techniques in drug
abuse treatment is contingency management, a system of rewards
and punishments to make abstinence attractive and drug use
unattractive. Ultimately, the aim of contingency management
programs is to make a drug-free, pro-social lifestyle more
rewarding than a drug-using lifestyle. The community reinforcement
approach is a comprehensive contingency management approach
that has proven to be extremely helpful in promoting initial
abstinence in cocaine addicts.
Once drug use is under control, education and job rehabilitation
become crucial. Rewarding lifestyle options must be found
for people in drug recovery to prevent their return to the
old environment and way of life.
More Information on Treatment:
Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse
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